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Ikea withdraws meatballs in more than 20 countries due to horse meat

21 Comments
By KARL RITTER

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21 Comments
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Yep, and they were tasty. Hmm.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Standardized DNA checks with meat suppliers or more stringent labeling rules on disclosing the origin of processed food’s ingredients will add costs that producers will most likely hand over to consumers, making food more expensive.

That wouldn't add any cost. Food makers don't need checks as they know perfectly where they get the ingredients cheaper than usual. That would cost them nothing more to print the origins of each ingredient on the labels as computers do that automatically. They can even link a homepage to the bar code of each product and provide the full detail with the name of the farm for each cow, for each tomato. The DNA checks are for the police, for sanitary services, to check that the label is honest. And if they find a fraud, they should close the business on that day. That's food, zero tolerance.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Someone must make millions on dead horses.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"processed food’s ingredients will add costs that producers will most likely hand over to consumers, making food more expensive"

Maybe people would then eat less of this highly processed, bits of everything all thrown in together "food", and that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Question: "Do you, or will you DIE after eating horse meat?" Where's the fire?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

It always seems there are "traces" of horse meat, only traces. Right.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I was unaware that so many horse were dying across the world that this is a viable scam. Or that horsemeat is so much cheaper than beef. Label them horse and plenty of people wouldn't care. horse sahimi and shabu shabu is delicious and horse steak is just fabulous.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

AKBfan

Race track horses are economic animals like cows or pigs. If they cannot make money on the tracks they are sent to the butchers. Only 10~20%(including recreational horses) are spared at most where as most are sent to the slaughter house.

Having said that I don't think Japanese would bat an eyelid just place horse meat on the ingredient list and it will be fine.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Question: "Do you, or will you DIE after eating horse meat?" Where's the fire?

Megosaa - you don't get it, do you? People don't want to eat horse in the UK (and perhaps other parts of Europe), and products being labelled beef but containing horse is against the Trades Description Act.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Whats the fuss, horse meat is more expensive...

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I wonder what the Swedish Chef on Sesame Street is thinking right now? Bork, bork, bork, bork?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Stores in the U.S. and Canada were not affected, Ikea said.

How about Japan?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I wonder what the Swedish Chef on Sesame Street is thinking right now? Bork, bork, bork, bork?

Probably, neh, neh, neh, neh.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"How about Japan?"

Considering horse meat is considered a delicacy in Japan, I would imagine most Japanese consumers looking at the inadvertent purchase of expensive horse meat at cheaper ground beef prices to be a bit of a serendipitous purchasing coup.

Get a grip, folks. It's just horse meat. And you know what? My friend Flicka tastes pretty darned good!

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Am I the only one here revolted at the prospect of eating a horse?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Am I the only one here revolted at the prospect of eating a horse?

No.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Typically, horse meat is more expensive than beef or pork. When it is used in cheap processed food, it is a strong indication that this horse meat was not intended for human consumption. Otherwise it wouldn't be cheap enough. Enjoy your meal...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Get a grip, folks. It's just horse meat.

It is really not the fact that it is horse meat. I personally like horse meat. It is the fact that the product was not what was promised. Many see this as a serious problem, with good reason.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"It is the fact that the product was not what was promised. Many see this as a serious problem, with good reason."

I beg to differ. I don't think people are as incensed that there was false labelling -- although this is certainly an important issue to be resolved. The crux of the outrage is over precisely what was the unlisted ingredient. Had the offending meat been chicken instead of pork, or pork instead of beef, I doubt very sincerely we'd be seeing the uproar we are seeing.

And it's because the offending meat is something as taboo as horse. We all know perfectly well that most Westerners traditionally view horses as a sort of pet, not at all unlike dogs or cats. And the way many Europeans and Americans are recoiling in horror at the thought of having eaten horse is not at all how many would react at the thought of eating whale or dolphi; It's just not something one does to a "noble" beast.

But as I said, it's all relative. One person's noble beast is another person's dinner.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The crux of the outrage is over precisely what was the unlisted ingredient.

Oh, I am sure that is part of it, too. However, there have been plenty of cases in the past in various countries with regard to false labelling, be it what was in it or where it came from. The fact that it was horse meat made it a bigger headline in many countries to be sure. However, it is not knowing what is in the product that seems to have consumers scared and angry. I still think it would be a scandal in Japan if McDonald's was serving horse instead of beef in their burgers. In order to have a stable consumer buying envorinment, the mane issue that needs to be reined in is the correct labelling.If not, it might become an unbridled disaster.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Good points one and all. It's unfortunate, but I see incidents like this only increasing against the backdrop of greater globalization and a stronger effort to push free trade agreements that may induce the less scrupulous to make profits where and when they can, regulations and safety guidelines be damned.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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